When people apply to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), they generally devote a significant amount of time filling out forms and gathering documents. Applicants should be aware that visa officers will carefully examine their documents before making a decision. Applicants must realize, though, that artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in processing large numbers of applications. Automated processing of certain types of applications is not unusual. Since 2015, the majority of visa-free foreign citizens had to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) before travelling to Canada. For the most part, these applications were automated. As of 2020, the Government of Canada uses analytics systems to accelerate the eligibility approval of straight-forward cases.
